Eating disorders (Eating disorders: Eds) can become psychologically and physically severe, and have the highest mortality rate among patients with mental disorders. It is also more severe and difficult to treat when it is prolonged. Therefore, as with any other disease, it is important to detect Eds at an early stage and treat it as soon as possible.
 However, the medical environment surrounding Eds in Japan is not necessarily well developed, and ED patients tend to be concentrated in a few specialty institutions. In addition, ED cases tend to be avoided by general medical institutions owing to the troublesome characteristics of the disease, such as resistance to treatment despite the physical severity. Furthermore, there is no standard treatment in Japan, and treatment for Eds is up to each medical institution.
 In light of this, the project by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) ―"Development of Guidelines for a Treatment Support Network and a Simple Treatment Program for Eating Disorders"―aims to reduce the barriers for non-specialty institutions. This would enable them to take charge of the treatment of Eds, and unify the treatment at specialty and non-specialty institutions. We developed the "Instant Guide to the Initial Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia nervosa: AN)" in line with the aim of the project.
 In developing this guide, information was collected from domestic and international ED guidelines and evidence. The guide consists of four materials―initial support, physical management, psychoeducation, and nutritional management―allowing the users to refer to the necessary information according to the patients' condition. It is designed for immediate use in practice, with specific instructions on how to guide patients to therapy and improve their physical condition. The guide had been used by clinicians on a trial basis and had been revised based on their feedback before completion.
 The development and dissemination of this guide is expected to reduce the barriers to AN treatment and improve the ED medical system so that patients with AN can receive initial treatment in a relatively uniform manner at the medical institutions close to them.
 Author's abstract